


Alexander Lightwood and Independence

by The Woman Who Wrote (jesmalestiel)



Series: Days in the life of Malec [3]
Category: The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Awkward Conversations, Baking, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Malec, Maybe a little angst, but actually sweet, but not really, dancing ingredients
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 13:21:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11737917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesmalestiel/pseuds/The%20Woman%20Who%20Wrote
Summary: There are dancing ingredients and decisions to be made. Or: Alec and Magnus have a serious conversation that devolves into pie.





	Alexander Lightwood and Independence

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Everyone! I hope you enjoy this little snippet. It’s unusually serious of this type of fic, but this is mainly a transition piece and the (maybe?) start of a new longer story. If you’re just stumbling across this, it can be read alone but I recommend going back and reading the other two fics in this series "Alexander Lightwood and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" and "Alexander Lightwood and the Squeaky Chair" first because 1. I want the hits

"I'm not moving in with you."

 

The apple Magnus had been about to eat had teeth marks in it. He slowly put the fruit down onto the table and wiped the arbitrary amount of juice off his mouth as slowly as possible to digest what had been said.

"I presume you have a reason?" he asked smoothly.

"Yes." Alec winced as he realized how fast that had come out. "It's not that I don't like you! Or that I don't want to be with you! But we're only known each other for what, six months? And I'm only 18, I mean 18-year-olds do stupid shit, don't they?" Alec paused as he scratched the back of his head, a horrified look on his face." Not that I think you're stupid shit!"

"Well I'm glad you think so highly of me." Magnus replied dryly. Alec looked to open his mouth in protest before Magnus sat up and leaned over the table in-between them. "I know what you're trying to say, and I agree."

Alec look startled, and more than a little uncomfortable. "You do?"

Magnus sighed "I'm twenty-two Alec, four years older than you - "

"Three and a half - "

"That's not the point and you know it." Magnus gave him a look. "We're at separate places in our lives. You're just starting out, figuring out who you are in the world without your parents. I've been without them for most of my life, so I'm used to that. But I've had four - alright, three and a half more years to grow into myself than you have. I don't want to be what defines your earliest years as an adult."

"You don't define me." Alec protested.

"Of course I don't right now, it really has been only, what did you say, six months? But I am afraid that - I want to take care of you, and help you, but I don't want to be a hindrance to your independence, or - "

"Magnus stop." Alec leaned against the table "You're not a hindrance to my independence, precisely because we agree about this." Both of them smiled in relief at the mutual understanding. "And besides that, your apartment is too far away." Alec pecked Magnus on the lips before jumping up and over towards the kitchen.

"Two far away for what?" Magnus called out as he also stood.

"Well I can't very well live in New York and still go to university in Cambridge, can I?"

"You're moving to England?" Magnus asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Nah, just New England. I got in!"

"To MIT or Harvard?" Magnus asked with a grin.

"Both actually." Alec shrugged, but Magnus could tell he was genuinely proud of himself. "But I'm choosing MIT. It's got a better physics program and will show my parents I'm serious about my career path."

"Well, this does deserve a celebration. Let's make pie!" Magnus clapped and suddenly the kitchen cabinets opened, containers of flour and sugar dancing out. Meanwhile the apple that Magnus had almost eaten floated from where it had been abandoned on the coffee table to rest with its fellows on a cutting board.

Alec tilted his head to the side. "Huh."

"What is it?"

"I didn't know that cinnamon sticks could do cartwheels."

"The more you know."

 

* * *

 

 

Pie made and (barely) cooled, the two men sat on the roof of Magnus’ apartment building looking out at the city, taking turns with forks going directly into the pie pan.

“I don’t love New York, but I think I’ll miss it.” Alec mused, looking down on all the city below.

“Will you miss me?” Magnus playfully hit Alec’s shoulder with his own.

“Hey!” Alec eyed him reproachfully before throwing an arm around Magnus. “Of course I’ll miss you. You’ll come visit?”

“As often as you like. I’m a warlock Alec, I’m only a portal away.” Alec smiled, and it reached his eyes before they dimmed. “What’s wrong? You were smiling and now you’re not.”

“Nothing’s wrong, I’m just – everyone I know and love will still be here, and my family’s not like you Magnus, they’re just – we’re just – mere mortals. And it’ll be nice to get away from mum and dad, but Max is so young, I’m going to miss him growing up. And Jace, Izzy, Clary, even Simon, they’re all going to be here and I’ll be – I don’t know. Cambridge. A new city, new people, and very close to the enemy.”

“The enemy?” Magnus asked with yet another raised eyebrow. Alec nodded his head solemnly.

“Red Sox fans.”

Magnus threw back his head and laughed, his cackles lost to the wind for everyone but Alec and Magnus himself. Eventually he stopped, but with a smile on his face.

“You’ll be fine darling. And they’ll be fine. Besides, I can always portal you back here. It works both ways you know.”

“True, true.” Alec took another bite of the pie and almost moaned.

“Do you like it?”

“Do you actually put magic in this stuff? Because I wouldn’t be surprised if you did.”

“All natural darling.”

“Didn’t answer the question, magic occurs in nature, therefore it’s natural to use magic. Or I guess supernatural if we get technical.”

“Are we getting technical?”

“Maybe. Or we could get physical.”

“Was that an invitation?”

“Are you asking.”

“I don’t know, does soliciting pie make me your bitch?”

“Only if you want to be.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t know where those last few lines came from… I’m doing my best to make sure that these characters do what I want, but they’ve been running away from me, even though I finally got rid of (some) of that pesky writer’s block. Just so y’all know, I stopped watching the show after season one because I got concussed and have had to stay away from screens and have had to use my screen time for mildly more important things like class and work. But y’all want to know more about the days in the life of Malec, not my personal problems.


End file.
